


A Reason To Start Over New

by erisgregory



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Drinking, M/M, Post-Canon, breif appearance by maria deluca
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erisgregory/pseuds/erisgregory
Summary: From a tumblr prompt: Alex's friends from the Airforce come to town and recognize Michael from the picture of him and Alex that Alex carried always had with him when he was deployed. Maybe one of them thanks Michael for being Alex's reason to come home and not die over there.





	A Reason To Start Over New

The Wild Pony is packed. It’s Saturday night and the band is just setting up and dammit Michael just wanted to drink in peace but of course Alex Manes is sitting there with a group of friends looking like he hasn’t a care in the world. Looking like every wet dream Michael has ever had, but that’s beside the point. Ever since the kiss with Maria, Michael’s been avoiding him. Or he’s been avoiding Michael. Whichever way it was it meant Michael went straight to the bar and did his best not to look over his shoulder more than one. Or twice.

Three times was definitely the limit.

“Tequila?” Maria asks dryly looking right over his shoulder at Alex and his friends.

“How’d you guess?” Michael asks sarcastically. It’s all he drinks these days. Beer just can’t cut it, not when the point of drinking is to get mind numbingly drunk.

“You have a face. It’s the same face you’ve been wearing for weeks, Guerin.” Maria says it like she might deny him the drink, but she’s pours a shot glass for him all the same.

Michael skips the lime and salt and shoots the tequila before gesturing for a refill. Maria rolls her eyes but refills it all the same. Then she has to take care of her other customers. She kindly nudges the bottle hsi direction and Michael thinks he must really look awful since he’s sure he already owes her for a couple nights ago.

The band switches from the slow song they’d been playing to The Reason and Michael isn’t sure which is worse. He’s four shots in and finally the knot that he permanently carries in his chest starts to uncoil from the heat of the liquor.

“Hey, you’re Guerin, aren’t you? Michael Guerin?” A guy to his left asks. Michael turns and doesn’t recognize him at all.

“That depends on who’s asking.” He tells the guy. It doesn’t bode well that he’s in fatigues.

The airman smiles though and it’s totally at odds with his question and it makes Michael shift in his seat, contemplate bolting.

“I’m Captain Manes’ friend, from the air force.” The guy chuckles. “Obviously.” He adds.

“Is that right?” Michael risks a look at Alex, but he’s still deep in conversation, paying Michael no mind.

“I recognize you from your picture. Captain Manes carried it with him everywhere. Still does if I know him like I think I do.” And Michael absolutely has no idea what to do with that, so he pours himself a shot and downs it before answering.

“Really.” He says flatly. He can’t quite believe that’s true but really even if it is, he’s already fucked things up so what does it matter?

“Really! Hey it meant a lot to him to have someone to come home to. He talked about you almost nonstop. And when he got hurt, I mean we honestly weren’t sure he was going to make it, you know? But he just kept saying he had to get home to you. You saved his life. What are you doing over here alone? Man let me buy you a beer.” 

Instead of taking the beer and taking a moment to process that, Michael gets up. He sees Alex is watching him now and it’s more than he can handle at the moment. Thank god he isn’t drunk, he thinks, as he makes a beeline for the exit. Maria’s going to kill him for ducking out without paying, again, but he has to get out of there.

He saved Alex’s life? What the fuck? That was too much pressure. Especially considering how he’d treated Alex since then. He’d been a total asshole and he was Alex going around telling his buddies…

It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he got to his truck as soon as possible and got the hell out of there. He didn’t deserve congratulations or free beers.

“Guerin! Michael! Wait!” Alex called from behind him. 

He stopped, he wasn’t even sure why, but there was something in Alex’s voice. He turned and Alex looked worried. It wasn’t a look Michael wanted to be responsible for. “What?” Michael asked, angry at himself for sounding so sullen. He had no right to be like this but he couldn’t seem to help it.

“Listen, whatever Roberts said to you--” Alex begins, but Michael cuts him off mid sentence.

“He said I saved your life.” Michael tells him flat out.

Alex looks abashed for a moment. “It’s true, you did, Michael.” 

He’s close now, close enough to touch and suddenly that’s all Michael can think of. The past few weeks don’t seem to hold the same kind of weight as they did before, nit with Alex standing there telling him it’s all true.

“It’s still true. Every day.” Alex looks entirely too sad and Michael can’t handle it. He needs Alex not to look like that anymore and he hates thinking he’s done that to Alex with all of his bullshit and he here is saying Michael saves him still every day and before Michael can stop himself he’s sliding his hands onto Alex’s jaw and kissing him.

Michael pours everything into that kiss. The shame of hurting Alex, the fear that he’s ruined any chance they might have, his hope that this is a turning point for them, his need for this to finally be real, and for them to have a future together. Alex pulls away first but presses his forehead to Michael’s still breathing the same air as Michael.

“Where have you been?” Alex asks, his voice strained.

“I didn’t think you wanted to see me.” Michael admits softly.

“Then you’re an idiot.” Alex says, smiling just the tiniest bit.

“I imagine that’s probably true.” Michael tells him.

Alex comes in for a swift kiss before saying, “Take me home?”

“Yes.” Michael agrees and kisses him again.

They’ll still need to talk, he knows that, but this feels like the start of something new, something real. Like beginning again and this time having the chance to do it right.


End file.
